Hooked On A Feeling

By Tyson Rauch

Well Super Bowl time is approaching and as usual the focus of my energy will be on my office pool boxes and analyzing the commercials.  Once again the New York Jets will not be participants in the championship game and that streak is on its way to 40 years.  The new thinking amongst Jets fans is that gang green is heading in the right direction under the tutelage of Eric Mangini.  Is this the same feeling the Jets fans had in the off season of 1999 coming off a heartbreaking loss in the AFC Championship game but returning the majority of the roster and being lead by a Hall of Fame coach?  Is this the same feeling the fan base had coming off a tough divisional playoff loss in Pittsburgh but with the nucleus of the team returning as well as some key off season signings? 

Some say the feeling is different; some could argue it is the same.  My feeling is one of uncertainty.  I agree with the green masses that the new front office and coaching staff are doing the correct things to make the New York Jets a successful organization.  The biggest challenge this off season will be to efficiently acquire the talent necessary to make the Jets more than an average NFL team.  Currently gang green cannot not consistently establish a running game or defend it.  The Jets do not have any playmakers on the team that can carry the team through tough times or difficult situations.

In addition the Jets have some pivotal decisions to be made regarding high valued players that could be playing out of position and are not as valuable as once considered (Vilma, Robertson). So with as much progress that has been made in 2006, the off season that follows could be crucial for the short term success of the New York Jets.  The National Football League is no longer a league where you plan to win in the future, the goal is to win and succeed every year.  Each season is unique and with the challenges of free agency and the salary cap, there are no guarantees at any point which has been proven over and over.  So with all this being said I have a feeling Mike Tannenbaum and Eric Mangini will be working 24/7 to ensure that their plans keep the Jets headed in the right direction, which is the Super Bowl in 2008.

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